Louisiana: Jail back on the table for some cannabis use

Terrible news. In a 59-34 vote, the Louisiana House of Representatives advanced HB 568, which would impose draconian penalties — including up to a year in jail — for consuming cannabis within 2,000 feet of school property, including college campuses! 

If you live in Louisiana, ask your senator to reject this huge step backwards!

HB 568 would make cannabis use a felony in huge swaths of urban and suburban areas. Two thousand feet is a little over ⅓ of a mile. In addition to mandatory incarceration of up to a year, the bill includes a fine of up to $1,000. These incredibly draconian penalties for using cannabis products near any school property (or on a school bus) passed the Administration of Criminal Justice in an 11-0 vote on April 15 before passing the full House on April 22. The bill is now headed to the Senate.

This is an attempt to bring back the draconian penalties that Louisiana was infamous for in decades past. This bill seeks to undo years of hard work by advocates for ending jail time for minor cannabis offenses. Under this legislation, a student could be incarcerated for a year for consuming in a college dorm room. 

We have worked tirelessly to reform Louisiana’s archaic cannabis laws for years. We have seen that prohibition has never been equitably enforced in the Pelican State. 

Let's move cannabis policy reform forward, not backward!